Judith Claire Mitchell
Author of A Reunion of Ghosts
About the Author
Judith Claire Mitchell is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and a recipient of a James Michener/Copernicus Society of America Fellowship. She was a James C. McCreight Fellow at the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing and currently teaches creative writing at the University of Wisconsin
Image credit: Judith Claire Mitchell [Nick Wilkes Photography]
Works by Judith Claire Mitchell
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Places of residence
- Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Long Island, New York, USA - Occupations
- Professor of English
Director of MFA, creative writing
paralegal - Relationships
- Friedlich, Donald (artist and husband)
- Organizations
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Short biography
- Judith Claire Mitchell is the author of the novels The Last Day of the War and A Reunion of Ghosts. She teaches undergraduate and graduate fiction workshops at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is a professor of English and the director of the MFA program in creative writing. She has received grants and fellowships from the Michener-Copernicus Society of America, the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing, the Wisconsin Arts Board, and Bread Loaf, among others. She lives in Madison with her husband, the artist Don Friedlich.
Members
Reviews
A Reunion of Ghosts: A Novel by Judith Claire Mitchell
The book started very promisingly with Mitchell's zippy prose and tantalising introduction. It however languished and you did not know where it is heading. The family history can also be very confusing. The family tree and table of suicides were thus very helpful. The writer was a mystery till the end (I guessed it was Delph). Finally, the ending was like a train crash. It was so unexpected. Suddenly, the cousin made an entrance to explain what happened to the sisters.
This book took my breath away. Lady, Vee, and Delph, three great-granddaughters of the inventor of both the gas used in WWI chemical warfare and, later, the extermination of the Jews in the gas chambers of WWII, are planning their suicide. This forty-something trio has selected a date and have set to compose a suicide letter, which is more of a family chronicle. Highly recommended.
Surprisingly amusing, but then I've always had a tendency towards black humour. I found this a really good read, being well-written, engaging, intelligent and intriguing. Book club was polarised: some felt the sisters unlikeable due to their not doing anything active to combat the depression/anxiety that plagues their lives. As a long-term sufferer of major depression and anxiety, I fully empathised.
Loved this one...can only describe it as VERY original, quirky, dark, fascinating, unusual...AND...WRY...enjoyed it until the last word, recommend it for anyone indulging in like-minded literary endeavors...Gemma
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Statistics
- Works
- 2
- Members
- 409
- Popularity
- #59,484
- Rating
- 3.5
- Reviews
- 11
- ISBNs
- 21
- Languages
- 1